History Repeating Itself
by TerryJ
Summary: "Charlie knew that he was the true cautionary tale about of what happens at the end of the story if you don't fix what you've lost." Why does Charlie drink so much? What's with the bowties? Why does he hate Reese but is so protective of Leona and Will? A man like that must have a deep history; here's one possibility.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N & Standard Disclaimer: Thank you Mr. Sorkin for creating more great characters, hopefully you don't mind that I play with them from time to time._

_This story started as a short character exploration and ended up as several chapters. They are all written and just need to be proofed and edited so I should be able to update fairly regularly. I hope you enjoy!_

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Charlie sighed and leaned back in his chair as he watched MacKenzie and Will verbally spar over which item deserved to lead the News Night program that evening. Deciding it didn't need to involve him he tuned them out, sitting forward in his chair to review the network ratings report for the 10 o'clock programming.

After a short while it became easier to concentrate which was distracting enough to force Charlie to look up from his work wondering why the shouting ceased. Will and MacKenzie were still in his office, no longer arguing but staring at each other intently.

Deciding the tension in the room needed to be dispersed Charlie interrupted their silent communication, "So it's settled then?"

It was clear from the matching startled jumps and awkward glances that they had both forgotten that Charlie was even in the room.

"Not really..." Protested MacKenzie.

"Don't worry, whatever you two decide is fine with me." Charlie explained with an addled tone and a smile while moving to open the door to usher them out.

"But…" MacKenzie began again until Will cut her off with a guiding hand on her lower back.

"Come on, Mac. Charlie's had his crazy lady quota for the day..."

"Crazy lady? If I'm crazy it's just because you make me so!" Charlie shook his head, hearing the former lovers continue to argue as they made their way down the hall.

He snorted under his breath as he thought the term "former" lovers. He really should find someone to place a bet with as to how long it takes forl the two of them to get back together. Though it was honestly taking them longer than he would have thought when he first pulled MacKenzie onto the News Night team just over a year ago.

If anyone asked he'd insist that he brought MacKenzie on board because she was the best in the business. He knew that both she and Will suspected his ulterior motivation of getting the two of them back together and even he would have a hard time denying it if either decided to press him on the subject. The old network executive simply cared too much for his star anchor to let him fall into the all too familiar trap of missed opportunities and staving off loneliness.

Charlie glanced at his wrist watch; 4:30pm, not quite 5 o'clock yet but close enough for him to pull a bottle of bourbon from the table behind his desk. As he sipped on the bitter liquid he thought about the young people who worked for him.

He had heard some nonsense about Jim and Don and some love triangle which MacKenzie was desperately inserting herself into, holding up herself and Will as a cautionary tale. He sighed and took a deep swig of the stiff drink.

MacKenzie had it wrong. An unfinished story couldn't be a cautionary tale. You can't find the morale to the story if you don't know how it ends yet. Just like he knew it was him and not Will or Mackenzie who was the true Don Quixote, Charlie knew that he was the true cautionary tale about of what happens at the end of the story if you don't fix what you've lost.


	2. Chapter 2

He was 17 years old when he first noticed that Michael Roberts' little sister was growing into a noticeably attractive young woman. Not willing to endure the inevitable razzing from Michael and the rest of their friends Charlie ignored his impulses and instead asked Susan Alberts to the winter dance that year. He couldn't help it if Susan was unable to join them at the ice cream shop after the dance and he had to seat himself next to the vibrant Mindy Roberts.

Over the next months Charlie turned being in the right place at the right time into an art form. If asked he would have claimed coincidence that he sat next to her each time Mr. Roberts extended the invitation for 'Young Charles' to join them for dinner. He would have argued that he was just having fun each time he joined Michael to scare off another of Mindy's potential suitors.

Charlie's imagination began to wander to thinking he wasn't alone in his feelings during his senior of high school when couldn't help but notice the studious Mindy began asking him for tutoring she obviously did not need and that she would keep him at the dinner table, arguing the merits of some inane detail of high school life. Or that she began showing up in the parking lot behind the school where Charlie and Michael would go to work on their cars. He especially spent time day dreaming about the one night she came down to the strip and squeezed into the middle of the front bench seat next to Charlie and they cruised through the evening in his 56 Roadmaster with Michael oblivious in the passenger seat.

Charlie decided to ask her out after she showed up at graduation and gave him a shy smile and congratulations before running to hug her brother. Despite his resolve he had been working as an assistant to his father's bookkeeper for the 6 months after graduation before he got up the courage to ask her on a proper date.

He caught up with her at the school library and tried to project an air of confidence when he suggested she join him downtown for the evening. She smiled fondly at him but shook her head and told him that she didn't think it would be a good idea. He was crest fallen and confused. He thought she liked him. When he asked her why she leaned over the books on the table and asked him, "Charlie, do you plan on working as a bookkeeper for the rest of your life?"

Fearing that she thought the role beneath her future aspirations he vehemently shook his head.

"No...No. I'm just doing this until I can afford to go to college."

She nodded her head, "And then you want to work for a television program, right?"

Charlie nodded "Yes. A real program; like a news broadcast or something sophisticated. Not a children's show."

Seeming to understand his concern Mindy shook her head sadly. "Charlie, whatever you end up doing is fine but where are the television studios?"

Still not understanding what this had to do with her agreeing to get a milkshake with him he shrugged, "A few of the major cities. I think I want to try for New York though."

Mindy smiled, "So in a year or two you're going to go away to school, shortly thereafter I am also going to go away to school, probably somewhere different. Then when you graduate you're going to move forever away to New York City."

Charlie looked at her with an earnest expression, "So?"

She sighed heavily, "So, I already care about you than any other boy in town. If I go out with you I'm afraid that it will grow to be too much."

Charlie hardly heard anything after she said she cared about him. All he managed to get out was a baffled, "What?"

Mindy covered his hand with her own, "We're too young to have the decisions we need to make over the next couple of years be tethered to what someone else is doing."

Charlie shook his head, "What if I don't care if I center my choices around where you are in your life?"

Mindy disagreed. "Sorry Charlie. You have so much potential and I would feel guilty if you limited yourself because of me. You want to go to New York? I love Manhattan, may be I'll end up there myself after school. If life works the way we want it to, maybe we'll be able to see each other again when we're both settled into our adult lives."

Eventually Charlie ruefully accepted her position not wanting to risk pushing her away by being too insistent that they see each other. He clung to her vague supposition that fate would bring them together eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

Of course life didn't work the way they wanted.

Charlie did go away to college and so did Mindy. He never forgot about her but also allowed himself to enjoy the experience of being a college coed in the 60s. Tall, dark and handsome he never had a shortage of pretty girls who were eager to join him on a weekend night but he kept them all at arm's length, his heart still infatuated by the girl back home. Still he had to admit that she had been right, college was a great time and he probably would have not had half the experiences he did if he had left every weekend to spend time with Mindy.

He had begun making his post graduation plans but before he could make good on his intentions to move to New York he received his draft card.

He never once considered evading his obligation and instead of waiting for his number to be called he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and enlist in the Marines. He spent his last week at home before leaving for basic. Michael had already left for the air force but Mindy was home on Spring Break.

They spent every waking moment of the week together, her fear of never seeing him again overrode her insistence that they limit their relationship to platonic friendship. After they spent the night together he asked her for her picture and she agreed providing him with a color shot of the group from high school hanging together one day at the lot.

The night before he left he cropped the picture down until it just showed him and her leaning on the hood of his Buick.

Like many Marines his tour was shorter than most of the armed forces but what it lacked in length it made up for with brutality. He stopped writing home a short while after being in the country, not knowing how to put into words the horrors he was seeing. When he arrived home the following May it was as a shattered man.

He had been stateside for two weeks when his mother broke the news that Michael Roberts' plane had been shot down and he had been declared KIA. Attending Michael's funeral was the first time he left the house since he had returned home. Mindy came up to him at the reception to thank him for coming and tell him she was thankful he had made it home safely. Guilt crowded his thoughts and he was unable to do anything but nod mutely, fearing that opening his mouth would just invite the tears and marines didn't cry, especially in front of their high school crushes.

Home for the summer and unsure what to do with the overwhelming grief for her brother Mindy grasped at the mission to try and fix the broken soul of Charlie Skinner. She began showing up at his house with baked goods. At first they didn't talk, they would just sit and watch the evening news together. He got the message that she wasn't pressuring him, but she was there for him.

He startled her the first day he broke the silence of their evening ritual. "Bullshit!" He exclaimed in response to something Nixon was saying about the war. She turned her attention to him, hoping for an elaboration, but he remained quiet after the outburst.

Seeming to sense this could be a starting ground she began making comments about the stories that came on the screen, trying to illicit a response from her quiet to companion. After awhile Charlie began responding and engaged her in conversations or arguments. A month after Michael's funeral Charlie finally gave up resisting when she encouraged him to join her at the drive-in or for a milkshake.

Thanks to Mindy's insistent efforts normal life no longer felt so unattainable or wrong to Charlie. At her insistence he began looking for positions with newspapers on the East Coast; some place progressive enough that they would be amenable to letting him report on what he knew to really be occurring a hemisphere away. She knew he was a talented story teller and theorized that reporting would great outlet for him to reconnect with the world and help him work through the demons that still haunted him.

He agreed, having always found a comfort in the news, first through the radio as a child and most recently the evening television broadcasts. The idea of being part of the process that brought the stories of the world into the living rooms across America was something that was inordinately attractive to him and for the first time since before the war he found himself excited about the future.

Despite the fact he was ready to start making plans for the future again he quietly decided he wasn't going to do anything until Mindy returned to school in September. After their summer he found himself unable to consider distancing himself from Mindy's supportive presence. Although he did not tell her, he limited his applications to papers within a commutable distance to where Mindy would be during the school year at Johns Hopkins.

So it was with great excitement that he finally accepted a position with UPI out of DC. It all seemed to be falling into place when he showed up on campus, surprising Mindy after his first week at work. He was unsure how she might react but when she shrieked gleefully and wrapped her arms around his neck he had hope again that life could end up the way he wanted.


	4. Chapter 4

That fall was the best time of his life. Every weekend was spent with Mindy, either exploring the nation's capital or wasting time together on campus. Their relationship grew closer and she no longer seemed to resist the notion of planning a future dependent on each other.

In what Charlie was beginning to feel was a cruel pattern, life took a sharp turn from his plans shortly before Thanksgiving. There was an open position for an embedded reporter and who better than a former Marine who was already familiar with the country and military operations? Charlie wanted to protest but it was made clear that his future employment was dependent upon this assignment. They promised it would be a short duration and the he could have his pick of assignments upon his return.

He accepted reluctantly. When he told Mindy she pointed out that he should look at it as an opportunity to truly share the truth with the world; by bringing the horrors of war stateside he would be a part of pushing people to action and help turn the tide for peace. She also tried to get him to look at it as a chance to establish himself as serious name in news reporting.

He was scheduled to depart January 2nd 1969. It was a 2 month assignment so he'd be back in time for her spring break. They spent all of New Years together, talking late into the evening and making plans for that week and the future. They promised to write each other weekly and Charlie agreed to find a phone and call if he was having difficulty dealing with returning to the war.

In the morning she drove him to the airport and although they had agreed to not make a big deal of his departure he grabbed her by the waist and gave her a deep impassioned kiss before departing down the gangway.

They held to their promises pretty well, letters were not every week but close to it and Charlie indeed called the few times he felt himself teetering dangerously close to the edge. Unsurprisingly the war's end was nowhere in sight and Charlie's reporting quickly found high praise. The quality of his work and the lack of reporters willing to be embedded pushed UPI into getting Charlie to agree to an extension. He regretted not being able to get home to Mindy but he felt the work he was doing had a potential to make a difference and he couldn't ignore what he saw as his duty to the men still in uniform.

2 months became 6 and 6 months morphed into 10 and then into 12 months. As the time passed the frequency and depth of his communication with Mindy dwindled. He no longer felt the need to call whenever he was in a close call; instead he processed his fear and frustration by focusing on the young men who were fighting around him and zealously represented their stories in his reports. To Charlie's alternating pride and chagrin his reports began to gain national respect and notoriety; as a result even when fresh reporters became available for the assignment Charlie was asked to stay on and follow through with his reporting.

After he had been in the country for 18 months and was due to return home "at any time" a correspondent from CBS found him on the Cambodian border. Walter Cronkite himself had been reading his articles and wanted to hire him as a correspondent for the CBS evening news. Unfortunately the offer was predicated on the fact that Charlie had to remain in Vietnam. He agreed under the stipulation that CBS would pay his way for a 2 week trip stateside.

He took a flight home and although the trip was ostensibly about seeing his family he did stop by the Roberts house in hopes of finding Mindy home. Her father looked at him sadly and told him Mindy had moved to New York. He apologized that she hadn't told him but Charlie shrugged him off and tried to pretend that he wasn't bothered.

In truth he was bothered and hurt. He knew it was his decision to stay in Vietnam that caused the rift in their relationship but he had never let go of the dream that he would come home to her waiting for him.

When he returned to the war front 10 days later he decided to move ahead with his life as an unfettered man. He stopped writing entirely and began more earnestly joining the other men in the past time activities that young men engage in when surrounded by chaos, war, women and booze.


	5. Chapter 5

Charlie lost himself in his work and was mostly successful in completely removing Mindy from his thoughts. He spent another 20 months overseas, bouncing between Vietnam and Cambodia, happy to report the dirty details of the war while extolling the bravery and personal sacrifices of the men serving. Although not all of his material made it straight to the air it served as direct resource material for the anchors and was lauded by the executives at CBS and even collected a few journalism rewards.

In 1972 it was decided that he deserved a break from the war and he was reassigned to the Olympics in Munich. He had a hard time adjusting to the quiet away from the war and often found himself wandering the Olympic village at insomniatic hours. Thus, he was the first reporter on the scene of the Munich Massacre. After the hostages were confirmed killed he surprised his managing producer by requesting to leave Germany. Now the crisis was over he felt there would be no new news there; the real story would be the motivations for the crisis and Charlie knew that story had to be told from Israel.

The executives were impressed by his logic and sent him to the Middle East where he dedicated himself to trying to educate the American public about the world's most ancient, ongoing conflict. The more he learned, the more invested he became in the stories of the people who lived with the daily realities of Israel and Palestine. He resisted when he was ordered home after the network executives decided that his stories weren't what the American public needed to hear and they weren't worth investing their star journalist. He realized arguing was futile and accepted that his time overseas was coming to an end.

Finally after 3 and a half years abroad Charlie returned to the United States. Although he was in the US he was not granted the opportunity to settle down; instead he was assigned to the McGovern presidential campaign. The work offered less time on the air but was a much more cerebral assignment requiring Charlie to collect first hand accounts of the political news and disseminating what the network anchors and reports should be featuring during their broadcasts.

After the election they gave him the opportunity to choose his next posting. He choose network headquarters in New York. On the campaign trail he had enjoyed doing the foundation work for the stories and he decided he wanted to experience more of the behind the scenes getting material on the air. The executives agreed and put him to work as a production assistant in charge of content management.

They were not about to overlook having a talented reporter on hand and he was still frequently called upon to go out to the field for short pieces which is how in April of 1973 he found himself at the ribbon cutting for the new World Trade Center towers.

While skimming the rows of seated dignitaries and VIPs he saw her for her for the first time since she dropped him off at the airport over 4 years earlier. He was barely able to concentrate on the feature he was supposed to be taping and when the ceremony was over he abandoned his camera crew and pushed against the crowd to try and reach her.

When he was barred from getting closer to the raised platform he shouted her name at the top of his lungs, "Mindy!" When she turned, confused eyes skimming the crowd, he couldn't help but be startled by how graceful and sophisticated she looked.

"Charlie? Oh my goodness, Charlie!" She ushered aside the guards who were preventing Charlie from making his way to her and approached him with a gentle hug.

At a loss for words Charlie stumbled over what to say. Mindy giggled, "Charles Skinner, world reporter. I would have expected you to be more articulate than this."

Charlie shook his head and smirked bashfully. "How about lunch?"

She hesitated for a second before nodding eagerly. "Absolutely, let me just tell Mr. Slattery."

Charlie waited patiently while she spoke quickly to an older man in a 3 piece suit. The gentleman looked briefly in Charlie's direction and nodded curtly. She returned with a grin on her face, "I have another 90 minutes before I have to be back at the office. Let's go!"

At first their exchange was almost awkward, each stumbling over excuses for the gradual decline and ultimate discontinuation of their relationship. At a certain point they both decided to ignore the underlying issue and instead focus on their current lives.

He felt something melt from around his heart when she stopped walking at one point to grab his arm and gaze up into his face and insisted, "It really is so great to see you Charlie. I've missed you."

He allowed one hand to come up and cup her cheek, "You have no idea how much I've missed you too."

She smiled broadly up at him and her eyes sparkled. If not for a sense of public decorum Charlie would have kissed her right then but instead settled for a wide grin of his own and to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

They walked the rest of the way to the restaurant, side by side with not a breadth of space between them. At lunch they got silly ordering for each other and exchanged updates as to how their respective families were doing. She asked him about his reporting and travels since Vietnam and he asked her about the ending of school and what she was doing now and how she ended up sitting amongst the VIPs at the ribbon cutting that day.

It turned out that Mindy was working as a financial consultant for one of the companies that had invested heavily in the complex's construction and would be leasing several floors. She was moving up quickly, gaining respect for her knowledge and pragmatic approach to problems. She had been at the opening as a proxy for her department executive as a show of appreciation for a recent project she had worked on.

Charlie smiled warmly at her, "Not that it's at all surprising but you must be doing a great job."

"Oh she is!" A dark haired man in a tailored suit approached their table from behind Mindy.

Charlie rose out of his seat to great the newcomer, noting with interest Mindy's sudden return to discomfort.

"She's one of the company's fastest rising stars, aren't you dear?"

Charlie's eyebrows rose up his forehead. Mindy cleared her throat, "Charlie, Edward. Edward, Charlie." She made polite introductions, "Charlie and I grew up together and Teddie and I work together." She took a deep breath before making eye contact with Charlie. "He is also my fiancé."

Charlie swore his heart stopped for a second. He mentally kicked himself and cleared his throat. "Nice to meet you Edward."

"Likewise." Edward smiled broadly and clasped Charlie's hands. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Charlie shook his head, "Not at all, actually I need to be going. You can have my chair." Mindy began to protest his departure but he cut her off with a kiss to her cheek and a sincere "It was nice to see you again." before he made a hasty exit from the restaurant.

Over the next few months she tried to get in touch with him but he found a way to always be busy or unreachable. When given the option he jumped at the opportunity to leave New York and transfer to the Washington DC Bureau to manage the network's coverage of the unraveling Watergate Scandal.


	6. Chapter 6

Charlie hadn't been in DC long when he met Darla. Darla was in town as a reporter in the White House Press Corps for a small paper out of Georgia. Charlie was immediately smitten by her lilting accent and her gentle interview style.

Over the years he had hardly lived a celibate life but had never let himself feel for a woman before; constantly living under the self imposed delusion that the future was still reserved for Mindy. But Mindy was in New York and engaged. That future was closed and when he called Darla "Peaches" and her laugh cascaded through the room he began to think that perhaps now, he could release himself and find happiness with this Southern Belle.

Darla was everything Mindy was not; true they were both beautiful and intelligent but Mindy was ambitious where Darla was content with the moment. Mindy wanted to prove herself in a world built for men where as Darla dreamed of being a stay at home mother. Mindy was deliberate and calculating but Darla was open and affectionate. Mindy saw the world in many shades of grey Darla clung stubbornly to strict notions of right or wrong, black and white. Mindy was a cosmopolitan lady Darla was a country girl enjoying a life hiatus in the city. Mindy had disapproved of Charlie's drinking, Darla asked her father to mail in some of his quality bourbon for Charlie to try.

Charlie and Darla had more conversations than the debates and arguments he was used to when spending time with Mindy. She didn't challenge him the way Mindy always seemed to but he dealt with enough debate at work that it was a joy to spend his time off regarding the world through a filter of simplicity. After so many years of thinking about Mindy who was such a firebrand Charlie found it hard to believe that he could truly be happy with someone as understated as Darla. But in the evenings when she shyly smiled when he held her hand he knew she was his key to putting the past behind him and truly starting a new future.

By the winter of 1973 Charlie and Darla were going steady with plans for him to join her family in Georgia for the holidays. His thoughts turned to Mindy only on the rare occasions when some of the guys would get together and discuss their experiences coming home from the war. One or twice a thought of her would flit through his mind when he saw an image of those World Trade Center Towers in New York but it was always fleeting and without the emotional pull she had held over him for so long. Thus it was with complete surprise that he nearly walked through her in the office lobby one day in mid December.

"Charlie." She spoke his name with the tone of a quiet, strangled plea. Her make-up was smudged and she looked as if she hadn't slept in a week.

Despite their distance in time and emotions Charlie's reaction was immediate and instinctive. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" When she didn't answer but just flung her arms around his neck Charlie became deeply concerned and discretely guided her through the building until they reached the privacy of his office.

It was a small room with not much more than his desk but he did have a large, comfortable chair and seeing as she didn't seem to have any intention of letting go of him he sat down and gingerly guided her onto his lap.

She did not cry tears but her shuddering breaths told him she was still upset and not yet in any shape to talk. He stroked her hair and whispered comforting words into the nape of her neck. After a while she stopped shaking but he didn't cease his calming ministrations. He barely noticed the subtle shift when she went from desperately clinging to him to nuzzling his neck and face, her hands on his chest and in his hair.

He hardly knew what happened before their lips were locked in a fierce kiss, hands desperately exploring each other's body. Charlie did not think about what they were doing at all, so lost in the sensation of her, until she shifted her legs so she was straddling his lap as opposed to draped across it. When she pushed herself forward on to his hips something awoke in Charlie's brain and he broke off their kiss, pushing back against her shoulders. She resisted his force, bending her neck to try and reach his lips across the divide created by his arms. She finally gave up and they rested their foreheads together while Charlie tried to get his breath under control enough for him to speak.

"Okay, I think it's time for you to explain what's going on here."

Mindy shook her head, "Isn't this what you want? Don't you want me anymore?" When Charlie just stared at her in wordless confusion she continued speaking, her voice a mix of desperation and authority, "Can't we just go back 5 years ago? We used to explore this city together, you'd hold my hand and then we'd go back to your place and I'd lean against you on the couch while we watched the news. Can't we just do that? There is a new Smithsonian exhibit we could go to right now."

Charlie finally found his voice and shook his head. "This isn't you and this isn't 1968. You're not acting like yourself; everything has always been about the future with you. Why the sudden desire to escape to the past?"

She ducked her head, refusing to meet his gaze until he tucked a finger under her chin. "Maybe, I'm just now realizing that I never appreciated the past when I was there. What's so wrong with wanting to recreate that?"

Charlie grimaced, "Because time moves forward! You know that better than anyone I know. If for some reason you need a break from your life and want to do some sightseeing around town I'd be happy to join you but this..." He gestured to their still compromising position, "Is not right. Things are different and even if we could wish them back I don't think we would; I'm enjoying my work here and you're excelling at yours up there. You've always wanted to live in New York and now you are, quite comfortably I hear. I've been seeing a swell girl named Darla and unless you've forgotten you are engaged to be married to Ted who is a great guy. What ever used to be the situation between us, it's not now. We are not philanderers! I won't do this to Darla and you won't forgive yourself if you do this to Ted."

She shook her head vehemently. "He's not a good guy Charlie, god he's really not." With that her shoulders began to shake again and she fell forward into his arms again.

Charlie was easily more bewildered than he had ever been. He tried to get her to explain, "What do you mean? Mindy, what has he done? Did he hurt you? Talk to me."

After a shorter time than before she composed herself and pushed herself back. Charlie tried again, "Mindy, you have me concerned, talk to me."

She climbed off of his lap and began straightening her clothes and fixing her hair. "No, it's nothing. You've made yourself quite clear. I'm sorry for coming. Forget I said anything."

"Mindy..." He begged.

"No," She avoided eye contact with him as she pieced herself back together. "You're right. You are clearly happy here and I have a lot of great things going for me, there is no need to complicate things. There was a window and we missed it but no one ever made a profit focusing on regrets. You're happy, I'm happy and the past is behind us. Now I think there is a 2:15 train back to New York that I should be able to catch."

"Mindy!" He grabbed her arm as she moved to walk out the door. She stopped and looked up at him. "Look, I know that you know I wish things had been different between us but the fact that we are where we are now doesn't change the fact that I will always love you and care about you. If there is something wrong let me help."

She smiled a strange little smile, "It's okay Charlie, I'm not just Mikey's little sister anymore; I can take care of myself. You have what you want and I know what I want too and it's Ted in New York. Please don't feel some misplaced chivalry to have to worry about me." She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek and turned and walked away before Charlie had a chance to respond. He debated chasing after her but he knew it wouldn't make a difference.

The next week he went with Darla to her parent's house in Georgia. If she noticed his distraction or that he had spent the past week trying to call someone in New York she made no mention of it. She held his hand and smiled brightly as she introduced him to her family and Charlie found himself enjoying their time with the traditional Southern family. He made a promise to himself to forget about Mindy and not let her unexpected visit deter his focus from the holiday.

That Christmas morning Darla gave him a blue paisley bow tie so he could "fit in with the rest of the family" and her father gave him a bottle of bourbon "to complete the picture." Charlie gave Darla a gold chain with a peach pendant and her complete joy at the simple gift stole his heart.

A week later, on New Years, the 5th anniversary of the day that he and Mindy stayed up all night planning their future Charlie proposed to Darla under the veranda outside the White House press room.

In the spring when he received the invitation to Mindy and Ted's wedding he declined and that summer when he sent out invitations to his and Darla's ceremony Mindy's was returned "With regrets".

* * *

_a/n: The source of the bowties is revealed! What next...?_


	7. Chapter 7

Time moved forward and Charlie's life was full and content. He and Darla made quick work of settling down. They had 2 boys and a girl before the decade was over and she happily left her job to spend her time raising the children. Conversely Charlie found himself a sought after person in the behind the scenes world of network news gathering promotions and awards throughout the 70s.

In 1979 he was approached by a man who was building a 24 hour news network out of Atlanta and wanted Charlie to come on board as senior director for news operations and production. He had a few reservations at first but he and Darla talked it through and she was thrilled with the prospect of moving close to her parents. Knowing it would be good for his children to be close to at least one set of grandparents the family left DC and moved to Atlanta. When CNN began its first broadcasts in 1980 Charlie was standing in the control room with a proud smile on his face.

Their time in Atlanta was as peaceful and happy as Charlie ever remembered being. He found transition to life as an executive to not be nearly as dreadful as he had once feared. The rest of the executive team had deeper backgrounds in business than in journalism and Charlie quickly learned the games they played and that the best way to beat them was to defy expectations and not participate in the standard foolishness of cross-double-cross. He quickly grew a reputation as being both a valuable, truth-telling asset but also an unpredictable force. This prevented him from climbing the promotion ladder but he wasn't bothered, he never wanted to be far from the actual stories and broadcast anyway. He took great delight in amusing himself by occasionally indulging the assumptions of his colleagues that he would react to something in an unpredictable way.

Despite truly enjoying his work the best part was that it was a 9 to 5 job and was able to seize each opportunity to enjoy quiet evenings with his beautiful wife and 3 children.

Charles Jr began to have a growing interest in mechanics and Charlie and his eldest son spent hours building model cars and tinkering with the old Buick Charlie kept in the garage. Darla insisted they pose for a picture when they came in one day in matching coveralls and grease stains on their foreheads. She snapped the Polaroid and sighed, telling her son she was happy he was so similar to his father.

Elizabeth was the middle child and spent her young years as an absolute conundrum to her parents. She changed her preferred nickname almost yearly and would pout when Charlie would forget and call her Ellie instead of Liz or Beth instead of Betsy. She also alternated between tom-boy and quintessential Southern damsel. She would beg her Mother to sit for a tea party with her and her dolls but then would rush to exchange her dress for denim and run outside when she overheard her father playing catch with her brothers.

Nathan was the baby and even from a very young age he displayed an intense desire to prove himself and not be underestimated. He was the athlete of the family, becoming the star of his little league team the very first year he was eligible to play. The same dedication he had to athletics he also applied to his studies. He filled his voracious appetite for learning by being the only of the three children who would sit contently on the couch with his parents as they watched the evening news.

For the first 8 years of their time in Atlanta happiness defined the lives of the Skinner family. That fairy tale was shattered in late 1987.

Darla's parents had taken the children for a trip up to their farm for a long weekend. On the day they were due to return a rare Georgian winter storm hit the greater Atlanta area, leaving the roads slick. Darla's elderly father lost control of the car less than a mile from the house and the resulting car crash killed both of Darla's parents and the two oldest Skinner children were killed instantly. Being the youngest, Nathan was the only one in a seat belt and survived with a shattered pelvis and femur.

The sudden and tragic loss turned their world upside down. Darla teetered on the edge of depression but was able to occupy herself with tending to 13 year old Nathan. As the boy healed and grew stronger he began to resist his mother's doting and reassert his independence. Darla was left with nothing to occupy her time and only her occasional fights with their son to distract her from her overwhelming grief. The tragedy spun her optimistic view of the world upside down and made her question everything. Unsure of everything she had taken for granted she pulled away from Charlie who was struggling with his own grief.

At first he responded by stopping at a bar before heading home but after a particularly vitriolic argument between Nate and Darla Charlie knew he needed to work on finding ways to help what was left of his family regain some normalcy. His efforts were met with resentment from Darla.

It was a dark time in his life. At the very lowest point he feared he and his family would never recover but he recalled those gloomy days following his time in Vietnam. Knowing he had once had the strength to survive that gave him faith that he and his family could survive this tragedy.


	8. Chapter 8

That spring Charlie was offered a promotion of running CNN's New York Bureau. Thinking a move away from the reminders of the tragedy might do his family well Charlie accepted the position and made plans for the transfer.

Darla resisted the change but she relented when he promised her a new start in New York and pointed out the hospitals in Manhattan would be better equipped to help Nathan with his lingering handicap. The work of packing up the house served as a useful distraction and by the time they were ready to move Darla felt good about the change.

Charlie wasn't sure how he felt about being back in New York but he kept himself focused by continuing to throw himself into his work. He was well liked in his new role and felt comfortable with the work but he still found himself stressed to his limits. Despite his comfortable salary the cost of living in New York coupled with the ongoing expenses for Nathan's physical therapists began to wear on Charlie. He began to put out quiet feelers for another position which would provide his family with more financial support. After 18 months in New York he was invited to a luncheon with an Atlantis World Media executive.

If asked, he would admit that he was confused by the invitation. AWM barely had a news division; it only had simple ownership of a few newspapers. As much as Charlie appreciated print media he knew that wasn't where his strengths resided but he wasn't about to snub an organization like AWM so he confirmed his availability and got his best suit cleaned. Darla bought him a new bow tie and gave him a kiss good luck on his way out the door.

He arrived at the uptown restaurant early and stood uneasily, rocking on the balls of his feet and checking his watch. He was unconsciously adjusting his suit jacket when he heard a voice he hadn't thought about in years.

"Charlie?" He hardly believed it but when he turned there stood Mindy; older than he had seen her last but the years had only enhanced her elegance.

"Mindy! Why hello!" He gently rested his hands on her elbows and gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek. "How are you?"

She tilted her head, regarding him fully, "Just fine Charlie, just fine. How about we sit?"

Charlie smiled and shook his head, "I would love to but I'm sorry I'm actually here for a meeting."

Mindy smiled a brisk, business like grin and nodded. "I know. It's with me Charlie. I'm executive vice president at AWM now."

Charlie's face went slack as his mind blanked. How could he not have known that? Was it possible that he had made such an effort to forget Mindy Roberts that he had missed that very big piece of information?

Seeming to understand and forgive his confusion Mindy touched his arm, "Come on now, my table is over here."

When they were seated Charlie just managed to get out a "Mindy, what..." before she cut him off.

"Charlie, this is first and foremost a business meeting so let me lay some things out for you. First of all, no one calls me Mindy or Melinda anymore. I've been going by my first name for over a decade now."

Charlie smirked, "Leona? Lioness. Nice. How appropriate for a VP at one of the world's largest conglomerates."

She ignored his commentary and kept moving on, "Second, this meeting has nothing to do with our personal history so it would be best if we agreed to start from scratch right here and now. We are both completely different people than we were back home and it's been long enough since we've seen each other that I can't imagine it should be too hard. Do you think that's something you can handle Mr. Skinner?"

Charlie shook his head and leaned back in his chair, regarding this woman in front of him and processing her statements. Her harsh, no nonsense, detached demeanor was something he had seen growing in his friend all those years ago but now, sitting across from the reality he was having difficulty reconciling this powerhouse of a woman with the girl who had slyly slid in next to him as the cruised the suburban streets of Ohio all those years ago.

With a strange sadness he realized she truly wasn't the same person; whatever experiences she had over the past two decades had coupled with her natural intellect and ambitions to create this woman who was sitting in front of him now. He truly did not know at all this woman at all.

Slowly, deliberately, he nodded his head, "I can agree to that. I once knew a girl named Mindy Roberts who looked like you but I can honestly say this is the first time I've met you…Mrs. Lansing."

Leona smiled, "Please. It's Ms. Lansing, Mr. Lansing and I haven't been living together for some time now. But you can call me Leona."

Charlie nodded, "And please, call me Charlie. The day people start calling me Mr. Skinner is the day I have to admit that I'm getting old."

Leona chuckled politely then leaned forward, "Here's the deal; I am maneuvering AWM to acquire a news network but I need to get the personnel infrastructure in place first. I have a vision for what this can be and between your journalism work and your newsroom management experience, not to mention your involvement in the building of CNN, you have the background I need to make this work. Not to mention that your romanticized admiration of broadcast journalism fits well into why I want to make this move."

Charlie grinned and leaned forward, "Interesting how I just met you yet you seem to know my personal attachment to the evening news."

Leona grimaced, "I thought you said you could do this?"

Charlie nodded, "I can! You're the one who started commenting on learned personnel information."

She crossed her arms. "Fine. I'll give you that. But that doesn't change what I said; this could be a big move for AWM and for me and you have the professional experience and personal motivation to help guide this thing to success. Will you come onboard first as a transitional advisor and then as a network executive? I have a couple of asses I need to kiss but as long as you're willing to commit to seeing this through I can promise you a very important position down the road. The title should take a few years but I can assure you will be well compensated immediately."

Charlie rocked back in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not concerned about having a very important position. I care about being able to support two things; First my family, Second the responsible dissemination of news and information to the American public. If you can promise me a position that guarantees those two things then I can't turn you down."


	9. Chapter 9

In the fall of 1990 Charlie left CNN and joined AWM's effort to change a small studio into what would quickly become Atlantis Cable News. Although they stuck to their promise to start from scratch he and Leona quickly fell into a warm professional friendship. No one knew their history but they did notice that Leona allowed Charlie far more latitude than other employees and the normally gruff Charlie displayed far more respect and deference to her than to any of the other senior executives.

He found the new work to be exciting, building something new with more creative input and control than he had when working with the budding CNN a decade ago. Leona had also followed through with her promise that he would be well compensated for his efforts. He moved his family out of Manhattan and to a suburb outside Greenwich, CT.

Nathan grew more capable and confident with his leg, passed his driver's test and began applying to colleges up and down the East Coast. Darla kept herself busy volunteering with the school's parent group and settling into their new community.

The years passed by with relative ease; Nathan got into Yale, studying economics. Darla reentered the workforce as a freelance editor. Leona got married again and divorced again shortly thereafter. Her son began appearing around the offices first as an intern and then as some ambiguous catch-all executive position. Although Reese was a smart and ambitious young man Charlie couldn't help but be put off by his resemblance to his father and the memory of a tear stained Mindy crying how Ted Lansing was not a good man.

It was February of 1995 when Charlie received a call from a friend of his who was still working in the CBS Washington bureau.

"Charlie, Gerald Franklin. How's the big apple?"

Charlie grinned into the phone. "Gerry! Things are what they are. What can I do for you?"

"I've got a reporter for you."

"Excuse me?" Charlie raised his eyebrows.

"There's a guy here. He was a speechwriter for the outgoing administration and he wants to get into news now. He's spent time in New York and wants to head back so I figured he could work for you."

Charlie shook his head, "Gerry I can't just give a job to a politico talking head who is out of a job. I'm full on political correspondents anyway."

"Charlie, I'm not trying to hoist this guy on you. He's good, he's been doing some freelance stuff for me this month and he's got potential. If he had more background in journalism I'd be pitching him to CBS but this would be his first real gig."

"He's not even a real reporter? Gerry, what do you expect from me?!"

"Charlie, listen to me. Just meet with him. He was a prosecutor in New York before working for Bush and he's great at shaping a story. I know you can take him on and I know you'll like him if you meet him. Please, give him an interview, for me. Please."

"Damnit Gerry." Charlie growled. He was silent for a minute but finally relented. "Okay. Tell him to send his CV, an example of his work and call my secretary, I'll tell her to give him some time if he calls. I will not chase him Gerry, if he wants an interview he has to nut up and call. Got it?"

"Absolutely. Thanks Charlie, you won't regret it."

Frustrated with himself for caving Charlie shook his head, "Yeah, Yeah. What's his name?"

"McAvoy. William D. McAvoy."

2 weeks later Charlie sat in his office across from a young, awkwardly shifting blond man.

"Can you sit still?" Charlie asked, putting down the resume he had been pretending to read carefully.

Will immediately froze. "Sorry."

Charlie smirked, "Are you really?"

"Excuse me?" Will looked confused, good. It wasn't entertaining for Charlie if whomever he was messing with didn't get confused.

"Are you really sorry?" Charlie repeated the question slowly.

"For what?" Will asked, equally as slowly. It was clear that he was second guessing his choices.

Charlie did his best to put on a serious face, "Doesn't matter."

Will looked like he was seriously contemplating running for the door but Charlie had to admire the way that the young man tried to act like he didn't think Charlie was absolutely batty.

"So, you've been a lawyer and a presidential staffer, what makes you want to move to the 4th estate?"

Will breathed deeply, thinking for a moment. "I've always loved the news and think that with my communication skills that it would be a good fit and a solid career move for me."

Charlie regarded the young man carefully. The carefully clenched jaw and absolute stillness almost yelled that the young man was being evasive. Charlie called him on it,

"Bullshit."

Will swallowed. "I'm sorry?"

Charlie ran a hand through his thick salt and pepper hair. "There you go apologizing again. This time you really should, it doesn't bode well for you to lie to a man you're hoping will give you a job that you're really not qualified for. Now, either tell me the honest reason that you want to get into broadcast journalism or get the hell out of my office."

Charlie narrowed his eyes and watched as Will first froze, then seemingly came to a decision and sat straight in his chair, a defiant look in his eye.

"America just elected a president with no national experience what so ever because they think he's cool. In a time when the world is getting smaller and it's more important than ever to have a heavy weight in the White House the American people screwed the pooch. A President, former Vice President, Director of the CIA, Liaison to China, Ambassador to the United Nations, US Representative war hero lost an election because he raised taxes when he needed to and a draft-dodging governor from a failing state went on late night and played the saxophone.

"I've seen the making of the sausages in DC; I know it's not pretty but it shouldn't be kept a secret because the country suffers for it.

"It seems to me that the average American feels disconnected from so many things which are at the center of our civilized society. The news has a responsibility to the American people and it's been doing a crummy job recently. I want to get involved and get to a place where I can get directly into the living rooms of this country, inform the public and raise the level of the electorate so we stop handing the most important offices in the land to hippies who probably couldn't find Yugoslavia on a map!"

Charlie raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair. After a few minutes of watching his guest flex the muscles in his jaw he leaned over and unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk.

"Do you drink bourbon?"

Will went back to looking uncomfortable and confused, "Not regularly."

Charlie poured two glasses. "We'll take care of that."


	10. Chapter 10

It was a surprise to no one when Leona became CEO of AWM and a few short years later she promoted Charlie to president of the news division.

Over the years Charlie allowed himself to forget about Mindy Roberts and truly only saw the blonde woman on the 44th floor as Leona Lansing. They were able to maintain their professional charade until September 11, 2001.

That morning, for the first time since the network's early months, Leona came down to the news division and stood next to Charlie in the back of control room A. As the day's events unfolded she would occasionally allow her arm to brush against Charlie's own. When the details of the passenger revolt and crash of flight 93 came through the newsroom she turned her face into his shoulder and cried.

After the second tower collapsed he quietly guided her out of the newsroom and up to his office. He held her as she let down her walls and allowed him to see her vulnerable and frightened. It was the only time since she hired him that he threw their rules out the window and called her Mindy. They spent the rest of the day in his office, splitting a bottle of scotch and alternating between coming up with creative ways to punish the conspirators responsible and theorizing where the country would go in the days to come. It was the first time in over a quarter of a century that they spoke about Vietnam, Michael and their childhood.

As the world settled again Leona distanced herself from him, not interacting with him in person unless absolutely necessary. The few times she had to speak directly to him she addressed him as Mr. Skinner. Her coldness hurt but Charlie understood what she was doing, reestablishing the boundaries they had shattered on that day.

He didn't begrudge her, they needed reestablishing. He followed her lead, calling her Ms. Lansing. He stopped putting in overtime and sent proxies to meetings where is presence was not absolutely required. Instead of joining her for lunch he would meet with Nathan who had begun working for the state department and had an office in Manhattan.

The years following 9/11 began a time in America more divisive than any Charlie could ever recall. He watched with disgust the level of pandering that was being pushed over the airwaves as politicians bent the truth and networks hyped up non-stories in the chase for illusive ratings. For the first time in his life Charlie began to be disillusioned with the news, even choosing to no longer watch it with Darla when he got home in the evenings.

No longer fulfilled with his work but feeling too old to start somewhere fresh and having no interest in retirement Charlie decided to take on a special project. From the very beginning Charlie had gotten along well with the network's rising star. It was clear to him that although very likely a certifiable genius Will McAvoy lacked some basic human experiences; something Charlie felt he could remedy.

Instead of spending hours debating broadcast content Charlie began encouraging Will to play hooky with him and go to local sporting events and waste away the days "Talking as menfolk do." Although they would never admit it to anyone, the two newsmen also spent a significant number of their outings going to the theater; on and off Broadway. It wasn't until Will came with Charlie to New York's annual car show that he realized he was beginning to think of the young anchor as a son.

A few years after September 11th Charlie seized upon the opportunity to hire another of the industry's young talents, an energetic young production associate whose American patriotism was contradicted by her English accent. Whatever story MacKenzie produced would be the bits that Charlie would watch and have bundled into presentations and reports as representative of the excellent journalism created by AWN staffers.

He found her idealism matched the fire he carried as a young man; seeing reporting of the world's news as a duty rather than a job. Will had been recently promoted to the 8pm anchor slot which meant he too had to jump into the ratings game but as an EP for the field production team MacKenzie was free to embrace the news for what it could be.

Charlie began inviting her to share a drink with he and Will at the end of the day, declaring that she kept them grounded and served as a reminder as to why Will and Charlie came to work in the morning. Although Will would roll his eyes and argue that he had his very own, personal reasons for getting up in the morning that had nothing to do with MacKenzie McHale it was no surprise when Will and MacKenzie began seeing each other.

For a time Charlie felt very blessed with two families; Darla and Nate at home and Will and MacKenzie at work. Of course, for Charlie, happiness was always fleeting.


	11. Chapter 11

Something had happened and Charlie wasn't sure what it was but he knew it was bad. Will was coming in late and leaving immediately after the broadcasts. MacKenzie was walking on eggshells and seemingly avoiding everyone. A week after the tension started she left him a letter giving her two weeks notice. He immediately called her into his office declaring that he didn't give a damn that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Do you want to give me a god damn clue as to what the hell this is all about?!" He didn't wait for the door to close before making his frustration perfectly clear.

For her part Mackenzie did a good job of trying to appear resolute, even if he could plainly see her biting the inside of her lip to keep herself from pouting. "Charlie, I'm sorry, I want to be clear; my decision has nothing to do with you or ACN, in fact this has been the best working environment I could have ever hoped for and I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I'm honestly sorry to be leaving like this but I have to."

Charlie sighed deeply but did not yield his furrowed angry stare. "If it doesn't have anything to do with me or anything to do with this network can I hazard to guess that JUST may be it has more than a little to do with why Will has been pouting around here like someone stole his puppy recently."

At that Mackenzie actually let out a little cry that she immediately stopped by clamping her hand over her mouth and staring in wide-eyed horror back at Charlie before slowly nodding.

Charlie released the tension from his frame and gestured for Mac to sit in one of the chairs. He had feared this but had refused to allow himself to honestly believe that Will and Mac might not make it as a couple; they were just too happy together. "What happened?" he asked resignedly.

Not removing her hand from her mouth Mackenzie just shook her head.

"I don't give a damn about what happens between two people at home but when one of the best EPs in the studio hands me their resignation you'd better believe I give a damn; a big honking devil of a damn. So, I'm going to ask you again, What happened?"

Mac dropped her hands to her lap and spent considerable time gazing at her fingernails before looking up at Charlie with tears in the corners of her eyes but a look of determination on her gentle features. "Will and I've split. Charlie, you know how much I care about you but I'm sorry, I'm the one who bollixed the whole thing up enough already and I refuse to risk hurting Will any further by talking about it. If you want the whole story you're going to have to get it from him."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully, trying to grant some understanding to the situation. "Is there anything I can do to get you to stay? A transfer to dayside?"

The look of disgust on MacKenzie's face said all of what she thought of that idea. "No thank you, and frankly I don't think it's far enough."

Charlie raised his eyebrows, "Where is far enough?"

She shrugged a little, "Trying Atlanta first, but I think the plan is Iraq before the end of the year. I'm going to be embedded."

Charlie sat forward and leaned on the desk, studying the petit woman in front of him and trying to reconcile what he saw with what he knew being embedded meant.

He shook his head, "Mac…"

She held up a hand to interrupt him, "I know Charlie, I know. I already got it all from my Mum last night but this is not just what I need to do to give Will some space; it's what I want to do, to grow professionally. I know you were embedded for quite some time and I'm sure that you want to warn me about how dangerous and emotionally crippling it is but don't you think it made you a better newsman? That seeing what is really out there helped you relate better to stories and report everything with a different perspective? Please, instead of trying to get me to stop perhaps you can instead tell me what I need to know in order to get through it in one piece."

Charlie squinted at her, judging her veracity and hoping to find a sense that despite her words he still had a chance of talking her down from this crazy idea of hers. With reluctance he processed her words carefully. He stood and walked over to the table behind his desk. Grabbing something from the drawer he walked back to Mac whom he pulled into a gentle hug. When he stepped back he handed her the old hip flask, "My first piece of advice is never to allow this to go empty except for by one sip at a time."

That night he tried cornering Will about the break up but even after half a bottle of his best bourbon the younger man refused to admit to the details of the break up. Deciding that keeping him professionally on track was more important than pushing this story further Charlie dumped the younger man in a cab and headed home.

Life moved on, Charlie and Mac kept in touch quietly, and Will's on air popularity continued to rise while he became more and more distant in real life. He still would chat with Charlie at work but no longer visited the Skinner household or joined his mentor for outings about the city and certainly made no effort to befriend any of the other ACN production team members.

It was nearly a year since Mackenzie left that after being stood up for drinks with Will yet again Charlie received a phone call from Nathan. His son was hoping he could catch a ride back to the house with him as he had something to discuss with him and Darla over dinner. Nathan announced that he'd been promoted but that he'd have to move to Hong Kong before the end of the year.

Charlie was quite proud of his son, knowing the value that world travel could bring to a young man and how much his independence meant to his youngest. Darla however did not take the announcement well wanting to know how long he'd be gone for and how often he'd return home for visits. When Nathan left a little over a month later it did not take long for it to become evident that Darla missed her only surviving son terribly.

At first Charlie thought it was normal maternal love but as the weeks passed and she became more withdrawn Charlie began to grow concerned. It was clear that Nathan's departure brought forth the feelings of grief that she had been successfully ignoring for the better part of 2 decades. Her grief was unexpected and overwhelming, leaving Charlie feeling powerless to help her.

After about 6 months watching her struggle and remove herself from the activities she had been involved in over the years Charlie convinced her to see a therapist. She began a regimen of anti-depressants and Charlie hoped that the combination of the medication and talking through her pain with a professional would bring his wife back to him.

Of course they didn't tell Nathan about the affect his distance was having on his mother. She didn't want him to worry and Charlie didn't want to detract from the young man's experiences but when he called to say he couldn't be home for the holidays Charlie desperately tried to convince him to come home without raising suspicions. He told him how much he missed him but Nathan promised he'd be back around "sometime next year; before the end of the baseball season."

The holidays which had always been such a traditional family time made all the more precious by the proximity to the anniversary of the car accident so Charlie was worried about having to tell his still struggling wife that Nathan would not be coming home. When he broke the news to Darla she just smiled sadly. "That's too bad. I guess it's just us then."

Charlie embraced her and held her close, "That's not a bad thing, is it?"

She just shook her head and pushed back from his arms, offering a small smile, "No, it's not. Despite everything you should know that I know I'm lucky to have you and I'm sorry for everything I've put you through."

Charlie smiled fondly at her, "I'm the one who's lucky."

The next day Charlie spent his time at work researching flights from New York to Hong Kong. He called Leona and confirmed that he'd be able to get the time off. Too eager to save the trip as a Christmas present he picked up some flowers on the way home, eager to see the look on Darla's face when he told her his plan. Darla didn't appear to be in when he arrived home so he found a vase and arranged the flowers on the counter where she'd see them when she got in. When he went to pour himself a drink and wait for her to return his blood ran cold.

On the fridge was a note penned in his wife's gentle script.

"My dearest Charlie,

I am sorry. First for everything I've put you through and now for the pain I know you will endure because of what I've had to do but please trust me; I know it is for the best and that you will endure and be much happier in the long term."

Charlie didn't read the rest of the note, instead he turned and ran through the house calling his wife's name, "Darla! Darla!"

He found her in the guest room; what had formerly been Nathan's room, two empty bottles of pills and a wine glass stood on the end table.

He froze in the doorway, then moved quietly closer, not wanting to disturb her if she was sleeping. He ignored the dried flecks of vomit on her lips and the blueish tinge of her cool clammy skin as he fumbled to feel for a pulse, first on her wrist and then her neck. He knew he was far too late but choked back a sob and allowed himself a few short moments of disbelief, calling her name and trying to shake her awake.

He finally stopped, scrubbed his watery eyes and began moving with clinical detachment, calling 911 and then Angela instructing her to scrub his week of appointments.

Unsure of what else to do he sat on the edge of the bed with a tumbler and a bottle of bourbon.

That's where Will found him 4 hours later; the bottle almost empty of its amber liquid.

"Charlie?" He asked tentatively from the doorway of the bedroom.

"Will! What are you doing here?" Charlie smiled a drunken grin at the young man.

"Angela told me what happened. I thought maybe you shouldn't be alone tonight. I had to cover at 10 otherwise I would have been here earlier." Will crossed the room and took the bottle out of Charlie's hand.

The older man patted Will's hand as he did. "Well, it's nice to see you. Too bad, Darla would have enjoyed having you over too. She liked it when you came for dinner."

Will grimaced, "I know Charlie. I know. I'm sorry."

Charlie shrugged, his glassy eyes looking everywhere fixating on nothing, "It happens William. People die. Has happened my whole adult life. Did you know Leona's brother died in Vietnam? Michael, he flew a plane. A lot of boys died over there. I didn't. Not even a scratch when I was enlisted. The shrapnel hit me when I was a reporter. Did you know that? Dumb ass Vietcong and a dumb ass war and I was a dumb ass kid. Yup, as soon as you start to get comfortable something happens and people die and then you're stuck having to piece together the pieces. I couldn't get Nate to come home and I couldn't help Darla after the car crash. That's what this is about you know."

Will didn't know how to respond to Charlie's ramble so he just nodded. "Charlie, have you called Nathan?"

Charlie shook his head and then wobbled before Will grabbed his shoulder to keep him from toppling over. "No, he's in Hong Kong. He's at work right now."

Charlie peered into his empty glass. "Are we out of bourbon? I'm sorry Will I should have offered you some."

Will smiled a wan smile at the older man. "How about we get you to bed? I'll share a drink with you tomorrow."

Charlie paused as if in deep concentration, narrowed his eyes at the clock, nodded, pushed away from Will and lay down fully on the bed. He was sound asleep before Will could suggest that he would be more comfortable in his own bed.

Will sighed, removed Charlie's shoes and tie and searched his blackberry for Nathan's number at work.


	12. Chapter 12

After that things went by in a blur. Will stayed with Charlie for the 3 days it took for Nathan to arrange a flight and travel home. In cruel irony, after the funeral Nathan stayed stateside keeping his father company through the holidays. After New Year's Charlie sent his son back to Hong Kong, insisting that he was fine. Fine was, of course, a relative term, Charlie threw himself into work and his drink spending most of the early nights of 2010 in a midtown hotel instead of making the trek back to his empty house.

Will would come by his office every evening before his broadcast under the guise of complaining about something or another. Charlie would listen, offer a drink, Will would turn him down and then leave, assured that Charlie wasn't falling to pieces. What Will didn't know was that he never would have been able to tell if Charlie was. There was only one person at AWM who would be able to tell that Charlie was not as okay as the front he was projecting would appear.

After he had been back for a week Leona stopped by his office.

"Charlie." She stopped just inside the doorway.

"Hrm?" He looked up from his desk.

She walked to the chair in front of his desk and leaned on it, "What are you doing here?"

He smirked at her, "I believe if you consult the AWM executive chart you will see that I work here; unless something changed and you forgot to tell me?"

She sighed. "You know very well what I mean. You know you have vacation time, why don't you get out of here?"

Charlie fidgeted with the not quite empty scotch tumbler on his desk. "I believe I've already taken some time off. Where would you suggest I go? Do what? Sit in my house alone? Visit my over protective son across the world who is already convinced that I'm going to fall apart at any minute? As surprising as it may sound, sitting here reviewing budgets and trying to decide what to do with 10 o'clock is exactly the kind of brain consuming work I need right now."

Leona frowned. She took off her glasses and placed them on the desk before she walked around and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Charlie. Charlie, Charlie. This is me."

Charlie sighed and bowed his head. After a long moment he cleared his throat and wiped angrily at his eyes. "I can't do this. Thank you, but I need to just work." He pushed back and turned back to his desk, not making eye contact.

At first Leona didn't move but eventually she headed his dismissal, stepping back and moving away. She stopped and turned back again when she reached the door. With his slouched shoulders and regular sipping of his bourbon she was suddenly struck with the memory of a much younger Charlie with dark black hair and equally dark and thick beard playing solitaire in his parent's kitchen while nursing a bottle of Jack the summer of 1968.

"You know Charlie," He looked up at her again with tired eyes, "Despite everything I will always be your friend. You need to know that."

She watched him clench his jaw and swallow hard before nodding abruptly and returning his focus to the papers in front of him.

A week later after the earthquake struck Haiti Leona suggested that Charlie go with Elliot and show him the ropes of reporting on the scene. He knew Elliot would be just fine on his own but also knew that Leona was giving him a way out, something to occupy himself without having to return home every night. He accepted the out and stayed in Port-au-Prince for two weeks.

He had to admit that Leona's plan was effective, not only was he occupied enough all day that he hardly had time to dwell, but additionally the newsman in him was reinvigorated. He hadn't realized how distant he had been from the story in recent years. Being on the ground and seeing the true human toll behind the narrative touched Charlie in a way that he hadn't felt in many years.

The day after they returned to New York he paced in the elevator lobby until he could 'happen' to catch the same elevator as Leona. He offered a hasty "By the way, thank you" as he exited the car and the doors slid shut behind him. It took Leona a moment to process what he had said but when she did a rare smile graced her face.

A few days later he received a memo from Leona stating she wanted to see more management presence at ACN's coverage of the Olympics in Vancouver. This time Charlie didn't bother acting like he didn't want to go. He even sent Leona a post card when he arrived in Canada.

It was there, surrounded by young, eager correspondents from around the world and memories of being a young man covering the games in Munich that Charlie began to feel alive again, his faith in mankind and the dreams and purpose he had as young journalist restored.

He garnered many young friends who pressed him for stories of working with the media greats and happily shared drinks and tall tales until late into the evenings. One such new friend from CNN filled him in that MacKenzie had returned to the states but it looked like she'd be out of a job by the end of the quarter when the show she was attached to was to be discontinued. Charlie made a mental note to call her when he was back in New York.

Upon his return home Charlie worked to keep his rediscovered passion for journalism alive. He again began spending his evenings on the couch watching the evening news, seeking the warm memories and comfort the ritual had always provided in the past. He found himself becoming more and more frustrated as he flipped the channels, seeking something that no longer existed. There were more options for news than ever before but none of the newscasts seemed to offer what he remembered the news to be.

He was going through his nightly ritual of not so slowly getting drunk while skimming the channels for something worth watching when the familiar face of Will McAvoy filled the screen. The anchor was stuck trying to play neutral on a panel for a college crowd in Chicago. Charlie put down the remote and settled back into the couch cushions, there was nothing else worth watching anyway and at least he could rely on Will for a couple of amusing one liners while the extremists on his left and right bantered it out.

Charlie forgot about his drink as he watched Will get forced into a corner by the moderator. When a look came over Will's face Charlie scrambled for the record button on his DVR.

After the broadcast ended Charlie stayed up all night watching and rewatching Will's impromptu speech until a plan started to formulate. He grabbed his briefcase; first step would be to figure out what to do with Don after Charlie hired MacKenzie Mchale. Second would be making sure Will couldn't stop him.


	13. Chapter 13

_Sorry this was so late in coming. I wanted an better ending for the story but when this popped out I had to sit on it for a while before I was okay with publishing it. Thanks for reading and for your reviews I hope this is a fitting conclusion to my little story and that the story did for you what it did for me: provides some possible answers about why Charlie feels the way he does about the various characters._

* * *

Charlie didn't always come to the News Night broadcasts but Will had invited him along with some of the crew to come over after the show and watch the live feed for the Mars Rover landing. Done with his own work for the day Charlie was happy to find an unoccupied workstation in the News Night bull pen and watch his employees with fondness as they prepared for their show.

His attention was pulled by Mackenzie hitting Jim with a folder and mumbling something about gathering rosebuds. Charlie smiled as she shoved Jim off and spun to grab Will and fix his tie before he headed to the desk. He watched Will's gaze unabashedly follow Mackenzie as she left him and headed to the control room.

Charlie sighed in a rare moment of wistful reflection. Will and Mac thought they were Don Quixote and the cautionary tale for the News Night team but Charlie knew they were wrong; He was Don Quixote. He had lost his wife and partner because of his inability to save her from herself and the other woman in his life, his true and persistent Dulcinea was long gone, existing only as the facade of a woman he had to see near every day yet remain at an arms distance.

At the end of the broadcast they sent Lonnie to get the car while the rest of the crew waited for Will to change. Once he was ready and Neal signed off the blog everyone headed down together. Charlie leaned against the wall in the back of the elevator car, smiling as the staff placed bets on the likelihood of the Curiosity rover's success or failure. He made eye contact with McKenzie who was shoved up against Will and winked. He knew that she too was enjoying the simple moment.

As they exited into the lobby Will twisted to find Charlie, "Come on Charlie, you want in on this? $50 says the chute doesn't open."

Charlie shook his head and waved his hands in front of him but before he could say anything a movement caught his eye. A man stood just inside the lobby doors. He raised his arm revealing a revolver in his hand. "McAvoy! I told you I had a bullet for you!"

Lonnie and Charlie acted as one; the larger man was coming in from the street and tackled the gunman as Charlie shoved Will with the surprising strength born from fear of losing someone else he loved.

A shot rang out and Will tumbled to the floor, the rest of the crew scattering to the ground.

"Billy!" Mac dropped to Will's side, but he waved her off.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." He was obviously shaken judging by the tremor in his voice but he pushed himself up with an air of nonchalance. "Geeze Charlie, maybe warn a guy next time, eh? I think you bruised one of my ribs, and you're lucky I didn't crack my skull!"

Will grinned up at Charlie who was still standing although he leaning against a pillar, staring in confusion at his hand. It took less than a moment for everyone to realize what he was staring at was the blood coating his hand. He kept blinking but the image never changed. "Where did this blood come from?" He asked the room a second before his knees buckled.

"He's hit!" Jim was the first to articulate what everyone else couldn't process. He moved in time to catch Charlie in his arms as he collapsed and gently guided him down to the floor.

"C'mon Charlie, Lie down, easy does it."

"Will?" Charlie strained to look behind himself.

"Will's fine, he's right there. You've been shot and are going into shock. I need you to focus and stay with me." Jim frantically ripped off his jacket and pressed it to the crimson hole blossoming over Charlie's ribcage. "Someone call 911!"

"I'm on it!" Neal already had his phone to his ear and was describing the scene to someone on the other end.

"My god, Charlie!" MacKenzie broke out of whatever trance she was in and moved from where Will still sat, frozen on the ground.

"Jim, how can I help?"

"I think the bullet went through his lung, it's collapsed. We need to help make it easier for him to breath. Remove his tie and loosen his shirt then support his shoulder and head."

Jim's clinical instructions roused Will. Any hope of it being a minor injury disappeared and the fear he had been trying to ignore was allowed to run rampant.

"Will?" Charlie asked again, struggling against Jim's hands.

Will slid across the floor until he was next to next to MacKenzie on Charlie's uninjured side. He grasped the older man's hand. "I'm right here Charlie, I'm fine, you pushed me out of the way, I'm fine. You need to listen to Jim and relax, ok?"

Will could see his mentor's eyes were glassy and unfocused and he wasn't sure if Charlie heard him or not. Charlie stared at Will for a long moment.

"You know they say if you don't learn from history you're doomed to repeat it."

"What?"

"Charlie, don't talk."

He shifted his gaze to Jim; "You may have seen a lot in your time, but I've seen more." He wheezed a shaky breath, "A man who has a chance at his last words shouldn't let that opportunity go." He wheezed again.

"Hey, hey, don't talk like that. Last words, what are you saying? Jim's right, just be still and the ambulance will be here soon."

Charlie ignored Will and looked at MacKenzie, "You were saying something to Jim tonight before the broadcast?"

Mac shook her head, tears gathering at the edge of her eyes, "Charlie I don't know what you're talking about…"

He coughed, tasting copper on his tongue. He looked at her as meaningfully as he could, "Gathering rosebuds?"

"What?" Mackenzie stared down at Charlie, unsure of his intent, "Yes, gather ye rosebuds while ye may, yes, I said that tonight, so? I say it often."

Charlie smiled and squeezed Will's hand. "Listen to her, gather ye rosebuds."

Will stared Charlie down, ignoring his words and commanding with his most authoritative voice, "Charlie you stick with us…"

Charlie smiled a small grin at Will before returning his gaze to MacKenzie, "You're story isn't over yet. Far from it. Gather ye rosebuds."

At that moment the elevator doors opened again and out walked Leona with her entourage of assistants. She was on the phone and at first didn't appear to notice the chaos in the lobby but at the sound of her assistant's gasps she took in the scene in front of her.

The phone fell from her hand. She stared at where the News Night team was kneeling around their fallen leader.

"What in Hell is going on here?" She demanded. She looked at Jim who was still pushing against the bullet hole, a look of despair on his face. She then looked to Mac and then Will who had tears openly falling down his cheeks.

"What happened?" She asked again, "He's fine, right?" she asserted even as she heard the ridiculousness of her own statement. When no one spoke she rushed forward and kneeled next to Jim, not noticing or caring about the pool of blood staining her white pantsuit.

Charlie rocked his head in her direction at the sound of her voice.

"Hi."

"Hi? That's what you say to me right now? Hi?!" She was confounded, absolutely unsure of how to respond to the situation.

He smiled sadly at her. "Sorry."

His eyes fluttered and she noticed the strained gasp he made with every breath.

"That is not going to cut it Charlie, come on. Stick with it Skinner!" She grasped his shoulder, as if she could lend him her strength.

"Sorry Leona." He coughed her name, blood staining his lips.

"No. No, no, no. Do you hear me?" He closed his eyes. "Charles Thomas Skinner; come on! It's me, Mindy, I'm right here, I'm not leaving you this time so don't you dare think you can leave me!" If she noticed the rest of the crew exchange glances she didn't care. "Come on, I can hear the sirens, the ambulance is almost here. We are going to get you all patched up real soon."

His chocolate eyes blinked open at the use of her old nickname and he hazily regarded her under heavy eyelids.

"Hey, do I remember right that you still have that old Buick?" She kept talking, "How about this fall you bring it down to the Hamptons? We can go cruising along the ocean road. I know of a great place that makes old fashion milkshakes. Come on Charlie, keep breathing. We can go Columbus Day weekend. You and me, Charlie and Mindy…like it was always supposed to be."

He wheezed and shuddered but managed a ghost of smile. "That….story…ended a long…time ago. I'm sorry Leona."

He closed his eyes and his hand went slack. Jim shouted "No…the paramedics are here…Charlie!"

Mac turned and buried her face into Will's chest but Leona didn't move, refusing to release his hand until Jim pulled her away.

Later, after the paramedics had taken Charlie's body away Leona stood in the corner of the lobby with her arms crossed. She watched as Maggie wiped the blood off of Jims hands and followed him into a taxi, simultaneously Will wrapped an arm around MacKenzie and guided her out into the night.

Leona thought back to the last time she talked with Charlie. They had gone out to dinner after they revealed Reese's hacking and suckered her support for the News Night mission. Charlie had regaled her with stories of the team coming together. He was endlessly entertained by how the team had debated who was Don Quixote and that Will and MacKenzie were under some self-imposed delusion that they were some tragic fairy tale.

As she stood alone in the dark lobby, blood drying on the knees of her $5,000 designer suit, Leona Melinda Roberts-Lansing knew better. She was the fool Don Quixote and she was the true cautionary tale about of what happens at the end of the story if you don't fix what you've lost.


End file.
